Hunting revolver.

Looking for something in either 44 or 357 to shoot Virginia whitetails with. I'm intrigued by single actions but prefer traditional double action. Found a Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5" 44 mag at a pawnshop that will sell for $500. Has some specs of tiny rust on it but I'm sure 000 steel wool and oil will remove. Someone mounted a scope and on built in ring slots they over tightened and left a crease slightly raising the edge on top of frame a hair and a few other slight dings. Appears to have been shot very little. Any help and thoughts on this gun or others is greatly appreciated.

If you go with 44 mag, no one will accuse you of "not bringing enough gun".

I hope to tag one with a 45 Colt Blackhawk this fall.

I don't know enough about RedHawks to verify that price, but sounds reasonable.

Others will chime in.

That looks to be an excellent price on a very solid gun. I agree with you about tiny rust specks, they should come out easily. As for the slightly raised spot in the frame, just take a small ball peen hammer or similar and gently tap it down until level, shouldn't be a problem.

In short, based on what you've described, if you want the gun then BUY IT. Some find the SRH to be a bit "beauty challenged", if you know what I mean, but if you like it, get it. It will definitely fill your needs, now and most likely in the future as well.

A .41 mag Blackhawk with the right ammo will take down any Whitetail. It's a flat shooter, without the heavy recoil of a .44mag.

Pick yer poison: https://underwoodammo.com/shop/handgun-ammo/41-remington-magnum/

My dad already has 44 reloading stuff. And I figured 44 or 357 ammo can be picked up most anywhere. Just not sure about the platform. Never handled a Blackhawk but the grip looks uncomfortable but I'm sure looks are deceiving judging by its following.

Com 45acp said:

My dad already has 44 reloading stuff. And I figured 44 or 357 ammo can be picked up most anywhere. Just not sure about the platform. Never handled a Blackhawk but the grip looks uncomfortable but I'm sure looks are deceiving judging by its following.

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Good reason to stick with .44 (reloading gear). I really like my .41, with the Hogue grips, but it is a somewhat of a cult gun. Several local folks hunt deer and hog with theirs.

Mine:

I have SRH in 44 with the 9.5 inch barrel and absolutely love it. When I do my part I can hold 4 inch groups with it a 100 yards with a ultradot red dot of a rest.$500 is a good deal , I bought mine for $450 and never have regretted spending the money.

Com 45acp said:

Looking for something in either 44 or 357 to shoot Virginia whitetails with. I'm intrigued by single actions but prefer traditional double action. Found a Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5" 44 mag at a pawnshop that will sell for $500. Has some specs of tiny rust on it but I'm sure 000 steel wool and oil will remove. Someone mounted a scope and on built in ring slots they over tightened and left a crease slightly raising the edge on top of frame a hair and a few other slight dings. Appears to have been shot very little. Any help and thoughts on this gun or others is greatly appreciated.

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Com 45acp,
If the scope was over tightened, what else was done to this magnificent weapon? I would be leery,
and determine if there is a provision to return the gun if further fault is found. (You said the magic
words, "Pawn Shop")! If not, I would walk.
Just my opinion.
Blackie

I had a Ruger single action .30 Carbine caliber that I used to hunt cull does with. Never had a problem with it
Of course, I have never had a problem with any of my Rugers.
Blackie

Those exact thoughts were on my mind too Blackie.
Please continue your opinions on options in getting started on handgun hunting.
Thanks guys.

Guys lump .357mag and .44mag together as if they were similar. They're not.

The 44mag hits harder past 100yrds than the 357mag at the muzzle. It has more Kinetic Energy at 250yrds than the 357mag at the muzzle...

The Super Redhawk might not have the most attractive lines, but it's quite possibly the most capable factory hunting revolver platform on the market.

The Super Blackhawk sacrifices the integral scope mount scallops, but plenty of options exist to integrate an optic. The Hunter incorporates the scope mounts, AND eliminates the square tip on the trigger guard, whereas the holy grail of the Bisley Hunter includes the scallops as well as a recoil taming bisley style grip frame. The standard Super Black is a fantastic revolver, and with a Weaver 301, it takes a scope easily, and with a set of (butt ugly) hogue grips and a Limbsaver bow insulator, it manages recoil quite well.

Running an optic buys a lot of range, it might be best to start with a red dot, which you might keep permanently. I favor variable zoom scopes to give me extra range, but it's hard to argue with an Ultradot Match Dot on top of a Super Redhawk.

For deer, the XTP's are a fine bullet, the 300grn XTP includes 2 seating cannelures, the lower of which seems to have been made for the Super Blackhawks. Seating in the second cannelure puts the nose right at the end of the SBH cylinder, allowing room for extra powder, and running at lower pressures compared to otherwise max loads - but higher velocities.

The SRH is a great revolver. To me the recoil isn't as bad as a SBH. Jacketed hollowpoint bullets aren't really needed, a good heavy cast bullet will do all that's needed and more.
I like a 310 bullet cast from a Lee mold for hunting, and for just farting around a 240 gr swc is my go to bullet. It can be loaded from mild to wild, just see all of the loads for it that can be found in various load manuals.
Around here a lot of the pawn shops sell a lot of new firearms, and it doesn't take long to find out which are reputable and which aren't. If the dealer will let you, spend a few more dollars and let a trusted gunsmith check it out before a final purchase.

I've hunted for many years with a scoped Super Redhawk. Love shooting that gun! My favorite thumper for sure.

My tastes for scoped handguns have drifted back to T/C Contenders.

When hunting is areas where a scope is not quite appropriate, I switch to an iron sighted Super Blackhawk.

At $500 you can not go wrong with the Redhawk. Many may feel the longer barrel a hindrance to carry,,, but it will off-set that in shooting. A fine handgun hunting revolver.

That sounds to be a great buy. Chances are the slight edge on the dovetail for scope rings wont even make a difference. These are great guns and even if limited to open sights it is still the best double action platform out there. BUY!!

SR1911SHOOTER said:

Com 45acp,
If the scope was over tightened, what else was done to this magnificent weapon? I would be leery,
and determine if there is a provision to return the gun if further fault is found. (You said the magic
words, "Pawn Shop")! If not, I would walk.
Just my opinion.
Blackie

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I wouldn't necessarily see this as an indicator to other "damage" to the firearm. SRHs are extremely tough, and it takes real "talent" to hurt an SRH.

That said, the Super Redhawk is one of the best hunting firearms to come along in a long time. Generally they are accurate, and you will be hard pressed to purchase a stronger revolver -- definitely as far as double-actions go. Also, they absorb recoil well. You are hard pressed to find a better rig for hunting and this one is at a good price point. JMHO

Well said Max.

contender said:

At $500 you can not go wrong with the Redhawk. Many may feel the longer barrel a hindrance to carry,,, but it will off-set that in shooting. A fine handgun hunting revolver.

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more, that long barrel is a lot to tote around the woods for a day and it makes for a heavy gun too. I had an 8 3/8' S&W Model 29 and after one deer season decide it was too much gun for me. Not the caliber, just the fact that it was cumbersome and heavy with that long heavy barrel. I did shoot a respectable white tail buck the one year I hunted with it. Maybe you're bigger that I am and it won't be as much of an issue for you.




The bullet provides the penetration, you provide the placement.

Are the Leupold M8-2x scopes any good?

Extremely. I had one on my .480 SRH.